Dr. Swarnamali Seneviratne

All things appear and disappear because of the concurrence of causes and conditions. Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is in relation to everything else. - Lord Buddha     Me in Perth WA  & on the right is a family portrait both taken in March 2009	Me  With the Centenary Medal - 2003
	Director                                                                     Australian Music & English Academy                                                                                                     Director                                                                        Swarnamali Music School                                                            Perth/Darwin/Melbourne                                                                      Founder/President/Public Officer                                                               Australian Multicultural Arts & Welfare Association Inc.

About Me

I have worked as a teacher of English and English Literature for several years in High Schools across Western Australia, Melbourne and the NT. It is interesting to note that studying Literature also encourages students to effectively read and understand, sophisticated literature in their own disciplines. As a teacher, it is also exhilarating to see Year 12 students I've taught, rank at the top of the scale of placement exams, Uni Entrance etc...

English Literature is a subject that challenges students to read and interpret a wide range of imaginative works ranging from Shakespeare to John Donne, Margaret Atwood to our own Aussie writer, Tim Winton, Keats, Shelley, Achebe ...... A well balanced  Literature course invites students to explore a variety of genres and literary periods and to respond purposefully to the literature they encounter. On a daily basis, as their teacher, I enjoy  directing my Lit students to read critically, think clearly, and respond to their texts with perception, and write concisely. By the end of the course, as their Lit teacher, I feel rewarded if I have been able to see that my students have cultivated a rich understanding of literary works and acquired a set of analytical skills they will use throughout their lives.

 To teach and guide students along to face competitive public exams involves a great deal of commitment & hard work, yet it is highly rewarding and exciting to feel that I, as their tutor of English Literature, have  given them , the key that unlocks the treasure troves of other cultures.

I have also been a lecturer in ESL/ Linguistics/and a teacher of piano and violin music and voice at several institutions in Perth, Melbourne and Darwin. With my linguistics, I have a background in phonetics, phonology and ESL pronunciation and intercultural oral communication. With my music, I have a western classical music background and qualifications as well as a strong interest in social music and community music relating to many countries. I have a research interest in discourse analysis, ESL pronunciation and intercultural oral communication as well as the history of musical instruments.

In the area of linguistics, in general, I am interested in exploring and analyzing and disseminating effective methods of teaching pronunciation and oral communication. I am also increasingly interested in policy and practice of ESL teaching, overseas students of English and their achievements. With my interests in the field of teaching pronunciation and improving oral skills of ESL students, I am exploring the incorporation of effective pronunciation lessons into the normal communicative ESL classroom, since, it is an important factor in ensuring that people with ESL needs can actually improve not just in oral communication but in general language skills. I am also interested in looking at aspects of language, meaning and culture, including ways in which cultural values and expectations can "shape" people's oral communication methods.

Language can be called a window on the mind that lies at the heart of understanding all aspects of human cognition, culture and conduct. I believe that we can successfully comprehend the intricacies of human nature, psychology and development through the study of language. I believe that the best teaching comes from innovative research. I have therefore undertaken to conduct research on different aspects of linguistic study, including theoretical linguistics, sociolinguistics, historical linguistics and cognitive studies of language.

It has always given me great pleasure to teach the workings of human language in all its various forms to my students, young and old and make them realise how it leads one to an awareness of the relationship between language, culture and social identity.

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